


A Tale of Time and Torture

by peachaura



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Happy Ending, Kidnapping, M/M, One Shot, Vampires, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 20:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9674573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachaura/pseuds/peachaura
Summary: Phil had always had a rather dull and boring life, but that all changes when he ends up getting taken by complete strangers in the middle of the night. He ends up getting tortured and experimented on in a place far away from home, but it all becomes worth it in the end.





	

**Author's Note:**

> funnily enough I started writing this like two years ago and kind of forgot about it... but it's done now (yay)
> 
> originally posted on my tumblr - jewelphan

Phil was walking through the streets of London late in the night, not having a care in the world. He was actually enjoying himself for once; the cool breeze biting at his skin, the faint glow of the moon shining down on the city, the quiet crunch of snow beneath his feet. He felt content with his life for once, it was odd to say the least, he hadn’t been happy with his life in forever.

Let’s backtrack a bit.

Phil, well, he’s not exactly the most loved person in the world, no one really cared much for him. He wasn’t hated, per say, but no one ever took much interest in him. He didn’t care much that people didn’t pay attention to him, but sometimes, it could get a bit lonely.

His parents had never payed much attention to him either, but he never blamed them for it. They were always on business trips or off spending the money that they had too much of. Despite all the neglect he was shown as a child, they did support him. They supported him when he came out as gay, they supported him when he told them he didn’t want to work in business, and they supported him when he made the decision to move to London alone and away from the family he rarely got to see.

A terrible decision that was. He ended up living in a small and cramped apartment and working at some shit office job that he never wanted. He was pretty damn broke, and he knew that he could ask his parents for money anytime he needed it, but the whole point of moving to London was so he could get away from them. He wasn’t that broke, and he certainly wasn’t that desperate.

Phil let out a soft breath, watching the small puffs of cold air leave his lips. He figured he’d done enough walking for one night, and he’d certainly done enough thinking. Just as he started to turn around and walk back to his apartment, something suddenly happened. Something he would never forget.

One second he was turning around, ready to walk back to his sad, lonely life. But the next second a hand roughly makes its way against his mouth. He didn’t even think before starting to kick and scream, but his kicks were weak, and his screams were muffled. He took a deep breath in and that was the last thing he remembered before his eyelids got heavy and his vision got blurry; and then darkness.

-

Brightness, heavy white lights covering his vision, luminosity glaring straight into his eyes, whatever you wished to call it, Phil called it blinding. It was the only thing Phil could see, just a white screen of pure nothingness. He couldn’t see anything else, he felt like someone forced him to stare at the sun. He tried blinking, but it didn’t do any good.

His eyes were wide open so he tried to make out what was in front of him. He attempted to focus on the brightness glowing in front of him, and after staring at it for a few minutes, he swore it looked like a wall. A wall with thousands of lights shining on it all at once. He didn’t think it was though, he’s just trying to convince himself that he’s not going blind or something.

But that was the thing. Phil’s eyesight wasn’t the only thing he seemed to have lost. He’s pretty damn sure he’s lost all his senses, or something of the sort. He swears his skin is either numb or frozen, It’s almost like he’s paralyzed. His ears can’t pick up a single sound either and they’ve started to make up an imaginary ringing noise. He can’t even seem to hear the own thump of his heart, to which he refuses to believe has stopped beating. All his nose was picking up was the faint smell of chemicals, or at least he thinks it was chemicals. The only thing he could feel or sense was the burning pain in his throat, he felt like he hadn’t drank anything in weeks. But the pain was the only thing that was convincing him that he was alive, and he’s not sure if that was a good thing or not.

Hours. Hours - maybe even days - had passed and not a single thing changed. Phil was starting to convince himself that he was dead and that this was hell. He wished it was a dream or some shit, he wished he would wake up in his comfy bed and go on with his day like nothing happened. He doesn’t know how he knew it wasn’t a dream, he just did. He guesses it was because it was too vivid - even without eyesight - and the pain was too real.

Until it wasn’t.

One second there was a bright light, the next it was more a golden shimmer of light. Phil no longer felt paralyzed, just a little cold. He started to hear a quick rhythm of thuds getting closer and closer to him, he was certain they were footsteps. The only thing that didn’t change was the smell of chemicals and the scratchy pain in his throat. But he didn’t even care anymore, all he cared about was the fact that he was alive and he wasn’t going crazy.

The footsteps stopped right next to him and he heard a man sigh, “Another failed experiment, and I was so certain this one was going to work.” A man spoke, he had a low and hoarse voice, it seemed unfriendly; almost deadly. It made Phil lose hope of getting home. He didn’t even know how far home is. Hell, he didn’t even know if he’s even on the same planet as his home.

“I suppose we should get rid of it. It serves no purpose to us like this.” The man said. Wait, what? Get rid of him? Is he going to kill him or something? Why would he do that? And what right does he have calling him an it? Phil sighed, losing the little to none hope he had left of getting to go back to a normal life.

“Wait. I don’t think the experiment failed, I think _he’s_  alive. Look.” A different voice said, a lighter, more friendly voice; which was obviously years younger than the other man. It immediately made Phil feel safer. Plus the fact that he called Phil a he. Even going as far to emphasize it in his words, almost like he was offended that the other man even thought about calling him an it. Phil cracked the smallest of smiles, so small it probably wasn’t noticeable unless you really looked.

But his smile immediately fell and he flinched when he heard an almost evil laugh coming from the older man, “You’re right my son, it didn’t fail.” The older man practically roared out, still letting out evil snickers and chuckles.

“Move it to the lab, we must study our creation and get it under our control.” The older man exclaimed, obviously happy about the fact that Phil ‘did not fail’. But while he was happy, Phil was terrified. He didn’t know what was going to happen to him, or what they wanted with him. All he knew was that it wasn’t going to end well for anyone.

-

They had injected some kind of chemical into Phil which successfully knocked him out, but it hurt like a bitch. After they injected him, he woke up in a room that looked oddly like a doctor’s office, a very clean and hygienic looking doctor’s office. Sure, if you walked into a doctor’s office you’re going to find it clean, but this room was almost too clean. The room had a desk, a workbench, and a mirror hanging on the wall next to Phil. It also had an exam table; to which he was currently chained up to. He wasn’t just handcuffed to the table, he was full on chained down. Chains were attached to his wrists and ankles, and there was one of those elastic-like bands stretched across his abdomen successfully keeping him pinned down.

Phil pulled his wrists down, seeing if the chains would budge, but it didn’t do anything. He tugged on the chains again, but still nothing happened. He repeated this until he started to go into a full on struggle fest with trying to get out of the chains. He was about to scream out for help, but before he did he felt something touch his skin. Phil immediately scowled at whatever it was, or rather, whoever it was.

“It’s no use, they’re on there pretty tightly. You’re just going to hurt yourself if you continue struggling like that.” Said the same boy who was there yesterday; was that even yesterday? Phil doesn’t have any sense of time in this goddamned place.

Phil just glared at the boy, “Fuck you.” He spat, his voice coming out scratchy seeing as his throat was still burning. He wasn’t in the mood for people to be nice to him. All though he did take this time to look at the boy considering he couldn’t exactly see him before. He was probably about Phil’s age, he had chestnut colored hair and eyes to match. His skin was rather tan, and even though Phil hated his guts, he couldn’t deny that he was kind of hot.

The boy put his hands up in mock surrender, “Hey, don’t get mad at me, I didn’t do anything.” He proclaimed. Phil just stared at him, gawking. Didn’t do anything? He was the very reason he was in this accursed place. Like hell he didn’t do anything.

He seemed to catch Phil’s obvious disbelief in his words cause’ he backtracked and rephrased what he had stated, “Okay, fine. Maybe I did a little bit, but for the most part I’m just here to take care of you. If you really want someone to blame, go take it up with my dad.” The boy stated.

“Your da- y'know what, never mind.” Phil asserted, taking a breath before he continued, “I won’t blame you, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be nice to you.” He finished bluntly, letting his expression go blank.

“Fine.” The boy stated shortly.

“Fine.” Phil retorted stubbornly. Phil exhaled sharply and turned his head away from the boy, suddenly very attentive of the searing pain in his throat. He swallowed cautiously, trying not to let it burn his throat anymore than it already was. It didn’t go too well, all the talking he was doing  was suddenly causing him a lot of agony. Phil would literally kill for some water right now. Wait, didn’t whats-his-face say he was here to take care of him? No, nope, no way. Phil has too much dignity to ask him for something, right?

Wrong. Phil guessed he could ask for one tiny favor, he sighed and turned his head back to the boy only to notice he was about to walk out of the room. Shit. “Hey!” Phil called, trying to keep his voice and face void of any emotion.

The boy turned around and smirked at Phil, almost like he was expecting him to say something, “Yes?” The boy asked, sounding so smug that it was making Phil lose the little confidence he had.

Phil shook his head to himself, clearing his thoughts, “Do you have any water?” He asked, mentally thanking any and everyone he didn’t stutter just then.

That damned smirk didn’t move from the boy’s face when he answered, “Yes, I do.”

Phil waited for him to say more, but after a minute of silence he finally figured he wasn’t going to. This cocky persona of his was really getting on Phil’s nerves. Phil closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before putting on a smile that immediately turned sickeningly-sweet. “May I have some?” Phil asked, trying to sound polite, but his voice sounded so sweet it turned sour.

The boy just shook his head and lightly chuckled to himself. “You can, but you’re going to need something a little different if you want to soothe that burning in your throat.” He stated.

How did he know about that? Y'know what, it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters anymore, nothing except getting out of this place, and if Phil had to play along with this stupid game to do so, fine.

“What do you mean something different?” Phil questioned, almost afraid to know the answer.

The boy shrugged, “Oh I don’t know, something red, thick, supposedly sweet, and will cure your thirst.” He responded matter-of-factly.

What kind of liquid is red, thick, and sweet? Sure, there’s always wine, but wine isn’t necessarily thick and even if it was how is it going to cure his throat; or cure his thirst as the boy so delicately put it. The only other liquid Phil could think of that fits that description is… “Blood?!” Phil practically screeched out.

The boy sighed, “Yeah.” He muttered, the arrogant tone in his voice was abandoned, he now seemed more sympathetic than anything.

Phil looked at him questionably for a moment before speaking one simple word, “Explain.” He said bluntly.

“What?” The boy asked confused.

“I said explain.” Phil repeated, his voice still blunt.

“Explain what?” He asked again, seeming genuinely confused.

But while he was confused, Phil was getting extremely impatient with him. It wasn’t just with him though, it was with everything, he was getting impatient and fed up with everything and everyone. “Explain. Explain everything. Why I’m here, what you want with me, and what the hell you did to me. Explain!” Phil yelled, his impatience quickly got replaced with anger. Normally it would be completely impossible for him to get this enraged with someone so quickly, but he couldn’t help it, something inside him was driving his emotions insane.

Though, Phil’s anger went as fast as it came because the look on the boy’s face looked completely terrified, and he didn’t understand why because he knew for a fact that he couldn’t be scary even if he tried. Phil turned around and looked at the mirror that was previously rendered useless to him. He expected to see _him_ , but what he saw was quite the opposite, whatever was staring back at him in the mirror was not _him_. The thing staring back at Phil had blood-red eyes, fangs, and skin as pale as freshly fallen snow.

“I have to go.” The boy said, his voice coming out shaky.

Phil quickly snapped his attention back to him and took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself down. “Wait.” Phil exclaimed, actually trying to sound nice for once, “Before you go, can I at least get your name?” He asked hesitantly.

The boy looked unsure for a moment before giving a quick and quiet reply, “Dan, my name’s Dan.” That was the last thing Phil heard from him before he rushed out the door from which he entered.

-

After Dan left Phil started to think about what the fuck just happened. Something is happening to him and he’s terrified of the answer. He’s not stupid. He’s read enough books and watched enough movies to know what the logical answer is for what’s happening to him. It’s obvious really, but he refuses to believe it. Blood, thirst, fangs, red eyes, pale skin. You’d either have to be really stupid or never read a bit of fantasy to not realize what Phil had been turned into. It’s so clear, it’s nearly impossible not to believe it. But Phil refused to say it, he refused to even think it.

Phil looked back in the mirror, realizing his eyes were back to the cerulean color they’ve always been, and his fangs seemed to be gone too. The only thing that didn’t change was the ghost white of his skin. His skin had always been rather pale, but this wasn’t just the simple ivory pale it always was, this was like a ghostly pale. There’s a huge difference. As Phil looked closer he realized it didn’t just look sickeningly pale, it almost seemed grey.

He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. There’s no point in worrying about it, what’s done is done. That doesn’t mean he’s not mad about it, because he is definitely mad about it; Phil could legit rip someone’s head off. But the point is, there’s no point in complaining about it and there’s no point in trying to change himself back, cause’ something tells him that is going to either be impossible or deadly.

All Phil cared about at the moment was getting out of this place, and he had a plan, but there’s a fifty-fifty chance it’s going to work. The plan requires a hell of a lot of pent-up anger to be released, and considering he’s not exactly mad at the moment he has a feeling this is going to take a lot more time then he wants it to.

-

Phil jolted awake from a loud screeching noise, he yanked on his chains, trying to pull up his hands to cover his ears. However, no matter how hard he tried, the chains wouldn’t allow him to do so. The noise was becoming too much and he started to scream, he tried anything and everything he could to block out the sound, but nothing was working.

Then it stopped.

The room became silence in an instance and Phil let himself relax for a moment but immediately put his guard back up when he heard the door next to him open. He quickly snapped his head over to see who walked in. Phil tilted his head in question, he didn’t know what to think of the man in front of him. All he knew was that the man had a dangerous aura around him, causing Phil to glare at him.

“Now, now. There’s no need to be hostile.” The man said almost as if he was talking to a small child.

Phil didn’t say anything, but his eyes widened. He wasn’t sure but that voice sounded almost like-

_You’re right my son, it didn’t fail!- Move it to the lab._

That dark, menacing voice from before, that voice was the very reason Phil was scared out of his mind.

The man chuckled darkly, “I’m surprised really, I didn’t think it would work. Any of it.” The man said, more to himself then anyone.

“Didn’t think what would work?” Phil spat, clenching his teeth.

“The experiment. I was about ready to give up, but then I saw you walking down the streets without a care in the world and I thought, _one more try._ And that last try worked, you worked.” The man said, stalking closer to Phil as he went on, and once he said his final sentence he gently stroked Phil’s cheek.

Nothing about the touch was soft or gentle though, it made Phil feel as if his skin was burning from the touch and he flinched away from it, but not before letting out a low, warning growl.

Phil heard the man chuckle darkly as he spoke up, “Don’t you understand? You’re an animal, _a monster._ Surely you’ve figured it out.” The man stated as if it were common knowledge.

“You can’t prove that!” Phil screamed. He knew it was true but he refused to accept it, he couldn’t accept it.

“Oh, but I can. That screeching sound you just heard can’t be heard by a human, it’s simply impossible to be heard by someone so _simple_. But an animal, that’s a whole different story. It hurts animals ears and they’ll cry and whine until it leaves. It’s torture to an animal. And you could hear it, couldn’t you? You could hear every second of it. It’s because _you are an animal._ ” The man spat.

“You’re lying, none of this is true!” Phil yelled, he couldn’t do it anymore, by now he’d rather die than go through this.

“Not proof enough? Well then, what about the burning sensation in your throat? It just won’t go away no matter what you try. Don’t you wonder why? It’s because you need something stronger than just water. My son told you that, you know what you need, so why don’t you have some?” The man laughed evilly, grabbing a bag full of dark red liquid from his pocket. He lifted it up to Phil’s lips and poured some into his mouth, forcing it down Phil’s throat.

Phil wanted to spit it out, to keep himself from swallowing it, to do anything but drink it, but the man wasn’t letting him. The man was holding Phil’s mouth closed and Phil couldn’t do anything but lay there and swallow it. The thing he hated the most was the fact that it actually tasted sweet, the fact that it was actually curing his throat, the fact that he was _enjoying_ it. He hated it.

The bag was emptying quicker by the minute due to the fact that Phil had actually started to drink it willingly rather than forcefully.

When the bag had been emptied, Phil hated himself. He couldn’t believe he actually liked the taste, he couldn’t believe he was actually _craving_ for more.

“Has my point been proven?” The man asked darkly.

Phil just glared at him, cause he couldn’t deny that the man had most definitely proven his point, but Phil wasn’t going to admit that. But it seemed he didn’t have to either.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” The man smirked, “Good day.” He spat before leaving the room.

-

Dan was looking through the one-way mirror in front of him. The boy - whose name had been unknown to him - was currently screaming and yelling because of the sound that was seemingly inaudible to Dan. He didn’t want the boy to be tortured, he wanted to hold him and tell him it would be okay. But he couldn’t, because if Dan asked his dad to make it stop he would just torture the boy more. He knew that’s what would happen, he knew from experience.

Dan let out a sigh of relief when his dad shut down the machine that was making the boy scream in pain. But he immediately tensed when he realized his dad was starting to walk into the room the boy was locked up in. Without thinking, Dan ran up to his dad and grabbed his wrist.

“Yes?” He sneered while he turned to look at Dan.

Dan flinched back and dropped his dad’s wrist, “N-nothing.” He stuttered, cursing himself for appearing weak in front of his dad.

His dad gave him a harsh glare before turning back around and walking into the room.

Dan sighed, he hated that he couldn’t do anything but silently watch. He could protect the boy, but if he did that then Dan would be put in the boys’ place. Dan would be the one who would be tortured if he even tried to help the boy. And as much as he hates to admit it, he would rather watch the boy suffer then have to do it himself. He knows it’s selfish and cowardly, but it’s the truth.

Maybe if he knew the boy, or if the boy was his _friend_  then it would be different. But he doesn’t know the boy and he's  _not_ his friend, so why should he care what happens to him? But that’s just it, he does care what happens to the boy, so why can’t he bring himself to help him?

Dan looked back up at the one-way mirror and he immediately flinched away, the sight before him made him feel sick. His dad was currently force feeding the boy blood, and he couldn’t stand to watch. But he couldn’t bring himself to move or look away, he felt frozen in place.

He wanted to barge in there and beg his dad to stop, but he didn’t. He couldn’t- no, that’s not true, he was perfectly capable of doing that, he just _wouldn't_ do it. He wanted to say he wouldn’t because he didn’t care, or because he valued his life too much. But the real reason he wouldn’t was because he was a coward, not a hero.

The bag of blood emptied quickly and Dan could finally move, he could finally breathe. Dan let out a sigh of relief when he saw his dad walked through the door to the room Dan was currently in. Dan was glad the boy’s torture was over. _For now_.

“How’d it go?” Dan asked, pretending to be oblivious to what just happened.

“Rather well, it’ll be under our control in no time.” His dad answered, smirking.

Dan wanted to punch him in the face, he hated his dad. “Under our control my ass.” Dan mocked under his breath, hoping his dad didn’t hear.

“What?” His dad asked, though he figured he didn’t actually catch what Dan had said considering his dad sounded more curious than mad.

“Nothing.” Dan mumbled, biting his lip as if he were contemplating something, “Hey, why don’t we let him roam around in the room a bit? That position can’t be comfortable for him.” Dan said, nodding towards the boy in the room. Dan wanted to punch himself, why did he say that? His dad is going to think he cares for the boy.

His dad looked at Dan as if he were going to kill him but his expression quickly changed to one of amusement, “You’re a genius! You’ll go in there and we’ll see just how much that _thing_ trusts us!” His dad laughed out evilly, “If it hurts you then we’ll know just how much more work we must do to control it!” His dad finished, still laughing dangerously.

Dan’s eyes went wide as he realized what his dad was implying. “You want to use me as bait?!” Dan screamed out. That was _not_  what Dan was suggesting at all. All Dan wanted was to make the boy more comfortable.

“Yes.” His dad stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Dan thought it over, it did get the boy to be free, even if just a little. “Would he stay unchained?” Dan asked warily.

“If he behaves.” His dad answered as if he was talking about a child.

“Fine, I’ll do it.” Dan says. As long as the boy gets a bit of freedom, does it matter if Dan gets hurt? Besides, it’s the least he can do after what the boy has been through.

-

When the man left, Phil was shaking. He couldn’t believe someone could do something so horrible, but he refused to cry, he couldn’t show weakness. If he did he feels as if the man would come back in the room and torture him further.

Phil heard the door open again, and he immediately closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists. He didn’t want to be tortured again, he just wanted to be left alone. Why can’t someone understand that?

He felt a hand being placed on his shoulder and he tried to shove it off of him. It hasn’t even been five minutes, is personal space so much to ask for?

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you.” He heard someone say, but it wasn’t the man’s voice, it was Dan’s voice.

Phil opened his eyes and un-clenched his fists, but he didn’t let his guard down. “What do you want?” He spat, teeth clenched.

Dan lifted his hand off of Phil and he relaxed slightly, “Hey, I was going to unchain you but if you’re going to be rude to me you can forget it.” Dan said defensively, but Phil couldn’t help but notice the hurt that flashed across his eyes.

Phil thought about it for a moment, if Dan unchained him he could easily escape, the door to the room didn’t seem to be locked. God knows what was on the other side of the door, this could easily be a trap.

Phil eyed Dan warily before speaking, “How do I not know if you’re setting me up for a trap or something?” He asked.

“You don’t. You’ll just have to trust me.” Dan said smiling, but it wasn’t a dangerous smile, it was a real, friendly smile, and something about it made Phil want to believe him.

“Fine.” Phil said, if it was a trap then so be it, Phil didn’t care anymore.

However, even after Phil spoke, Dan made no move to remove his restraints. “Well, what are you waiting for?” Phil asked, getting a bit impatient.

“How do I know that you won’t turn your back on me the minute I let you run free?” Dan asked, uncertainty clear in his voice.

“You don’t. You’ll just have to trust me.” Phil said, mocking Dan’s words.

Dan gave Phil a wary smile, he still seemed rather uncertain.

Phil sighed, “Look, I promise I won’t bite.” He said, trying to sound reassuring.

Apparently he sounded convincing enough because Dan started to slowly untie Phil’s chains and straps that were restraining him from doing anything. As soon as Phil was free he jumped up and slammed Dan against the wall, pinning his wrists in place so he couldn’t move. Phil bared his fangs and snarled at Dan.

“Y-you promised.” Dan stuttered, cursing himself for seeming weak.

“I promised I wouldn’t bite you, but it doesn’t require biting to hurt you.” Phil spat. Phil didn’t have anything against Dan, in fact he thought he was a rather sweet boy. But Dan was the son of _that man_ and Phil assumed that if he hurt Dan he would be hurting him too.

“Please, please don’t.” Dan begged. Phil almost let him go, he almost let him off easy, because that’s what human Phil would have done. However, Phil wasn’t a human anymore, he was a monster.

“I can’t. I can’t because my mind is so fucking clouded with revenge and hate towards you and your father. All I want is a reason _why._ Why me? Why did it have to be me?” Phil tried his hardest to keep calm, but as he continued speaking he couldn’t help but notice his tightening grip on Dan’s wrist.

Tears pricked Dan’s eyes as the pressure on his wrists was increasing drastically. “I-I don’t know, okay? T-there wasn’t supposed to be anymore after the last one. But it was late, and you were there. I begged my dad to forget about it b-but he didn’t. He _couldn’t._ ” Dan stuttered out, he knew he wasn’t making sense but he hoped that he was understanding.

Phil sighed and loosened his grip a little, “What am I doing? Human Phil would have never done anything like this. I guess I should just forget about my old life, it’s gone. It’s _over._ ” Phil muttered, dropping his grip on Dan’s wrists and backed up, he glanced at the door for a split second as if to tell Dan it was okay to leave.

Dan felt relieved when Phil let his hands out of his grasp, he smiled a little when he realized he finally got Phil’s name, even if it wasn’t intentionally given to him.

Dan slowly started walking towards the door and when he got to it he put his hand over the handle, about to open it. But he thought for a moment, he bit his lip and kept his eyes trained on the ground before speaking up, “Just because it’s over doesn’t mean it never happened.” Dan muttered softly to Phil, and after the words let his mouth he quickly opened the door and left the room. Dan shut the door behind him and locked it. He slid down the door, hugged his knees to his chest, and took a deep breath. That was close.

-

Phil was about to go mad. It had been at least a week since anyone had visited the room, and he was starving. He started to think it was because he almost killed Dan, that made sense anyway. He feels so bad for Dan, Phil didn’t mean to take it as far as he did. It just kind of happened.

Ever since Dan left, Phil had been trying to escape. Sadly, his attempts were useless and he was just wasting his energy. And as a result, he got hungry and angry. Phil wanted- no,  _needed_  something to eat, and soon.

Phil sat down on the exam-table AKA the thing he was using as his bed. He closed his eyes and let out a quiet sigh. He was exhausted, mentally and physically, he wishes he could just sleep forever.

He had almost fallen asleep when he heard the door open, he cracked one of his eyes open to see who it was. It was Dan, and god damn he smelled amazing. “Are you stupid?” Phil asked in a bored tone, his attention wasn’t currently on Dan, it was however, on the sweet aroma that seemed to be surrounding him.

“What?” Dan asked, seeming confused.

Phil opened his eyes and looked towards Dan, letting out a quiet chuckle, “I haven’t had anything to eat in _days_ , do you really think it’s the best idea to just waltz in here and expect me to control myself. Especially around you, you smell _so_ good.” Phil stated, looking at Dan as if he was a small animal to prey on.

“Why do you think I’m in here dumb ass.” Dan stated, unimpressed by Phil’s tone of voice.

“Oh, are you offering?” Phil chuckled, a smirk evident on his face.

“Fuck off. I just came in here to give you a goddamned blood bag.” Dan snapped, throwing a blood bag at Phil’s face. “I’m leaving now.” Dan mumbled.

Phil grabbed the bag right before it hit him in the face and looked back up at Dan, smirking to himself as an idea ran through his head. He tossed the blood-bag onto the exam table and got up before grabbing Dan’s wrist and pinning him against the wall, “Who said you could leave?” Phil asked, he didn’t know what he was doing, he had been cooped up in a room for a solid week, he deserved to play around a bit.

“Uh, I did.” Dan spat.

“Did you now?” Phil smirked, nuzzling his face into Dan’s neck, getting his mouth teasingly close to his throat.

“Yes.” Dan attempted to sound confident, but Phil could hear the clear shake in his voice.

“Mm. You smell so good, Dan. You don’t mind if I take a bite, right?” Phil mumbled into the crook of Dan’s neck.

Dan stood frozen for a moment after registering Phil’s words, and when he really understood what Phil was asking he roughly pushed Phil away from him, “Yes, I mind, you twat!” Dan yelled.

Phil stood looking at Dan for a moment before bursting out in laughter, “You should have seen your face!” Phil laughed out, clutching his stomach in the process. He wasn’t actually going to bite Dan, even if he did smell incredibly good.

Dan’s face visibly heated after realizing it was just a joke, “I hate you- you stupid jerk. I’m leaving.” Dan scowled. Clearly upset and embarrassed after what Phil did to him.

Dan started heading to the door but was stopped by Phil’s sincere voice, “Thank you.”

Dan looked up in question, “For what? Being your source of amusement?” Dan asked bitterly.

Phil shook his head, “No, for making me laugh. I haven’t laughed like that in years. So thank you.” Phil said sincerely, and it made Dan wonder, what was Phil’s life like before all of this?

-

Dan slammed the door shut behind him and felt like screaming. Phil was so frustrating. Why did he have to do that? Was it for amusement? A way to cure his boredom? That was the most plausible reason. Whatever it was, it enraged Dan to no end. He felt as if he was some toy that was being played with and he hated it. Dan slumped down onto one of the swivel chairs that faced the one-way mirror that shown into Phil’s room.

Dan sat quietly and watched Phil. He was currently chugging down the blood bag that Dan had given him just minutes ago. When Phil finished, he glanced at the mirror, unknowingly looking at Dan. Blood dripped from the corner of Phil’s mouth and Dan couldn’t help but notice how angry and sad Phil’s eyes were. Dan huffed angrily, Phil didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve any of it.

As if hearing his thoughts and wanting to make them worse, Dan’s father walked into the room holding a box of various plants, knifes, and liquids.

Dan looked at his dad with fear and slight curiosity. “What are those for?” He asked warily.

“They’re for the beast. I need to know his weaknesses, so I thought I’d test a few things on it.” His father stated evenly, as if torturing someone was normal.

Dan clenched his teeth, “Phil.” He mumbled.

Dan’s father raised his eyebrow, “I’m sorry?” He snapped.

“His name is Phil, not beast, or monster, or any other name you’ve so cleverly called him. And he’s not a fucking 'it’, he’s a damn human - who, as far as I know - is a him!” Dan yelled furiously, not even caring if he would be punished for it.

His father placed the box down and slowly stepped towards Dan. He growled dangerously and grabbed Dan by the neck roughly. “Do you think I care what that monster is? Do you think I care if it has a name? Do you think I care? All I care about is using it as my own personal weapon that I can use when and where I please. Remember that before you decide to speak against me again. Do you understand me, boy?” He snarled resentfully, pushing up further on Dan’s throat causing a pained whimper to come out of him.

Dan was loosing his breath and he knew he wouldn’t be let go until he answered. Knowing he couldn’t use his breath, he moved his head back and forth in an attempted nod. His dad seemed to get the message so he released his grip and grabbed the box of items before walking into Phil’s cell.

He left Dan behind him gasping for air, a bruised throat, and only one thought in mind.

Dan was going to kill him.

-

Phil was peacefully resting on his back when he heard the door open. He assumed it was Dan so he didn’t bother looking up. But that was clearly a stupid decision because the next thing he knows someone was putting his old restraints back on him.

Phil’s eyes snapped open quickly and he recognized the man as Dan’s father and the center of Phil’s own hate. Phil snarled dangerously and tried to escape the chains and straps, but was failing miserably. Not wanting to waste his energy, he slowly stopped struggling against the restraints and instead turned his attention towards the man.

“What the hell are you doing?” He growled out lowly.

“What does it look like?” The man snapped back just as daringly, motioning over to the box lying on the ground beside Phil.

Phil looked down at the box and noticed it was full of several items; torturous items. There were knifes of different sorts, several kinds of plants, weird looking liquids, and a lot more dangerous looking things.

“So what, you’re gonna torture me? What are you trying to accomplish?” Phil asked, though he was curious, he was also getting scared. He had never taken pain well, physical or otherwise.

“Torture? No. Think of it more as taking precautions. We wouldn’t want someone as dangerous as you running around without a way to stop you.” The man said calmly while putting on some rubber gloves, and then picked up one of the many knifes.

Phil almost scoffed when the man called him 'dangerous’. Sure, he had been turned into a bit of a monster, but he wasn’t dangerous. Phil wouldn’t purposefully hurt anyone, not even a fly. Well, there were a few exceptions, such as the man in front of him.

The man walked towards him with the knife in hand and softly dragged the blade against Phil’s arm. Phil tried to pulled his arm away, but the restraints were keeping him from doing so.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.” Despite what he said, his actions did not seem to be copying his words.

Phil braced himself for the blade to pierce his skin. When the blade started to press into his arm, he closed his eyes tightly waiting for the pain. But it never came. He could feel the blade press against his arm roughly, surely ripping through his flesh, but there wasn’t any pain. It felt more like a gentle prick. Phil cracked his eyes open and stared down at his arm where the blade was pressed. There was a large gash and blood was rushing out of his arm, but he couldn’t feel it. The man lifted the knife from Phil’s arm and, interestingly enough, the wound started closing.

“Interesting.” He heard the man mutter to himself. The man then took the knife and dipped it into a strange liquid. Phil looked at it questioningly, curious as to what it could be.

The man started to cut Phil again, but this time Phil didn’t even flinch. Though the cut did leave a slightly different sensation on his skin, a bit tingly. Phil figured the new feeling was due to the liquid that was covering the knife.

“What was that?” Phil asked, referring to the liquid.

“It was a type a poison. Very dangerous to humans and animals alike.” The man answered, much to Phil’s amazement. But it made Phil wonder, if it was so fatal to both human and animals, why wasn’t it to him? However, he didn’t want to dwell on that thought for long.

The man set the knife down and picked up a small plant. It was short and had various bunches of little white flowers, much like queen anne’s lace. The man brushed the plant lightly against Phil’s skin and it was slightly irritable. It was almost like someone was holding a burning match too close to his skin.

Noticing Phil’s irritability he stopped his movements only to push the flower rougher into his skin causing the burning sensation to increase. Phil tried to show that it wasn’t bothering him but it started to hurt too much and he jerked his arm back.

The man smirked and removed the flower from Phil’s skin, and Phil immediately felt better. The man grabbed a wooden bowl from the box and started crushing the flower in it. When the flower was finely crushed, he added a bit of water to it to create a liquid. He took said liquid and put it into a syringe. Phil’s eyes went wide when he realized what the man was going to do, and he tried to get away, but the restraints were too tight.

The man took the syringe and pushed a little on it to see if it was working properly, and he smirked when a bit of the liquid came out. He stepped towards Phil and roughly tilted Phil’s head to the side and jammed the syringe into Phil’s neck, he then pressed down so the liquid started pooling into Phil’s neck.

When Phil felt the liquid pouring into his neck, his whole world stopped, his breathing faltered, and his body froze. And everything was peaceful for about half a second before he started feeling like hell had just entered his bloodstream. He felt as if his whole body was just set on fire and he started violently thrashing around on the exam table. He had never felt anything as painful as he was now. He heard someone speaking, but he couldn’t make out the words above his own screaming. He could tell his body was violently shaking, but he didn’t care, all he cared about was wanting all the pain to stop.

The fire in his body started dying down after a few minutes, but it left a horrible itch behind that Phil wanted, and started to, roughly scratch away. He could feel his nails digging into his skin, surely leaving bright red marks. He felt someone grab his wrists and try to pull his hands away from his skin, but Phil harshly pushed the hands away and kept slashing at his neck.

“Phil, stop!”

Somehow through all the pain, and noise, and shaking, and blood, Phil could here the words and he slowly stopped scratching at his neck, despite how much he wanted to continue. Phil suddenly smelt someone’s blood, and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t smell like heaven.

Phil could faintly feel someone’s wrist against his mouth and a rushed out, “drink!” And Phil did not have to be told twice.

He gripped the person’s wrist tightly and started gulping down the blood. With each swallow Phil’s mind became clearer and all the pain was being washed away and all he could focus on was the sweet, fresh blood he was being offered.

“Phil.” Someone said, presumably the person he was drinking from.

“Phil.” The voice said again, a little more urgently, trying to pull their wrist away from Phil’s mouth, but that only made Phil cling harder and drink faster.

“Phil, stop.” The person said again, and it finally registered through Phil’s mind that the voice was Dan’s. He quickly stopped drinking and pushed Dan away so fast someone might have thought he burned him.

“What the hell, Dan?! Are you crazy? I could have killed you!” Phil yelled angrily, but his anger quickly changed to concern when he saw the look on Dan’s face.

Dan looked scared and drowsy. His eyes were dazed yet fearful. He looked on the edge of passing out and Phil quickly went to comfort or help Dan in some way. But when Phil came close to him, Dan tried to scoot away despite his lack of energy.

Phil realized that Dan was scared of him and that broke his heart in more ways then it should.

“Hey, Dan, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you anymore, I want to help. Let me help, please.” Phil said desperately. He didn’t mean to scare Dan and he certainly didn’t mean to hurt him. Phil had gotten so used to Dan’s smug and sarcastic persona that seeing him all battered and broken made Phil want to cuddle and comfort him, even if he was the one that caused the pain in the first place.

Dan nodded meekly and stopped trying to get away, Phil sighed in relief and ripped a strip of his shirt off to use as a bandage for Dan’s wrist. He moved towards Dan slowly, giving him the chance to tell him to back off if he so chose. When Dan made no sign of discomfort as Phil approached him, Phil gently took Dan’s wrist in his hand and started to wrap it in the fabric.

When Phil finished with the bandage, he lightly pulled Dan into his arms to give him a hug. Dan was visibly exhausted and he let his eyes close before falling asleep in Phil’s arms. Phil heard Dan’s heartbeat even out and he decided to let the boy lay against him until he woke up. Phil smiled down at Dan and gently kissed the top of his head.

“Thank you, Dan.”

-

The first thing Dan noticed when he woke up was that he wasn’t in his room. Which if that wasn’t unsettling enough, he also felt someone’s arms around him. He immediately tensed, and the person holding him seemed to notice.

“Dan? Are you okay?” The person asked, and Dan recognized the voice as Phil’s. He wasn’t sure if that was reassuring or not so he simply didn’t move.

“Dan? Your heartbeat is going crazy- you are awake, right?” Phil asked worriedly, hoping the boy wasn’t having a nightmare.

Dan weakly nodded. He figured it was hopeless to ignore Phil. They both knew he was awake now, there was no point in avoiding him.

Phil lightly pushed Dan off of him, trying to get him to sit up properly. “How are you feeling? Does your wrist still hurt? Do you have a headache? I would’ve gotten you water, but I didn’t know where to get any. Are you-”

“Phil,” Dan cut off quickly, “shut up.”

Phil lowered his head down, almost as if in shame, “sorry.”

Dan looked up at Phil and he seemed so lost. His hands were fidgeting as if he didn’t know what to do with them and he looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

Dan sighed, “I appreciate the concern, Phil, but honestly, I’m fine.” Dan mumbled awkwardly, he wanted to say more, but he wasn’t sure what or how to say it. Dan hadn’t forgotten what happened on any account; in fact, he remembered it rather vividly- Phil’s screams, the pain in his eyes, Dan stupidly offering his blood to help him.

Dan wasn’t exactly in the easiest of situations. He practically saved Phil - someone he barely knows - by giving him the chance to kill him if he so chose. Dan wasn’t sure if he should say thank you, or cower away from Phil and never talk to him again. It wasn’t like they were friends, not really. Dan was a lot of things to Phil: a kidnapper, an enemy, a caretaker, even a sort of an acquaintance. But he wasn’t his friend, Dan didn’t even know anything about him, no matter how much he wanted to.

All Dan knew about Phil was that he was roughly twenty and he had tousled black hair and captivating blue eyes. He knew that he was tall, roughly the same height as Dan. He knew that he’s a very kind person who would go above and beyond to help others. And above all, he knew that him and his father destroyed the boy’s life.

But that’s all Dan knew. Dan knew how Phil looked and he had a very rough idea of his personality, but he didn’t know details. He didn’t know what his life was like or how many friends he had. He didn’t know if he had a significant other. He didn’t know what Phil’s favorite things were, such as bands, movies, and games. He didn’t know his family or if he had any siblings. He didn’t know what life he dragged Phil away from. Dan didn’t know Phil, no matter how much he wanted to.

“Dan?” Phil asked gently, snapping Dan away from his thoughts, “I understand if you never want to talk to me again, or even if you never want to see me again. I hurt you, and I know nothing I say will fix that. So if you leave, I understand, but please know that I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Dan.”

Dan’s eyes never left Phil’s as he rambled on about understanding and apologies. But Dan didn’t understand, he didn’t understand why Phil was apologizing for something he couldn’t help. Dan didn’t understand why Phil was apologizing for hurting Dan when, in reality, Dan was the one that hurt Phil. Dan was the one that helped his father rip Phil away from his life. Dan was the one who turned Phil into a monster. Dan was the one who hurt Phil.

So why was Phil the one apologizing?

Dan started rapidly shaking his head, “Phil, no. D-don’t apologize. Please don’t apologize. I offered, okay? I fucking offered. I knew the risks when I allowed you to drink from me, so don’t apologize. If anyone should be apologizing, it’s me. I literally took you away from your life, I turned you into a monster, Phil. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry, Phil.” Dan was practically pleading with Phil by the end. He didn’t want nor need his apology, but he did need Phil to understand that he regrets it, he regrets every bit of it. The kidnapping, the torture, everything.

“Hey, Dan, it’s okay. It wasn’t really your fault. It was mostly all your dad’s. If anything, you’ve been nothing but kind to me. And if you don’t want my apology, then fine, I take it back.” Phil smiled, hoping the small gesture would make Dan happy.

“Okay.” Dan responded, not sure what else to say, “oh, and Phil?”

Phil hummed in response.

“I’m gonna get you out of here. I’m gonna fix this, and even though I can’t fix what you’ve become, I’m going to give as much of your life back as I can. I promise.”

“Sounds good to me.” Phil replied, “now can you please go back to being the arrogant jerk that I’m used to? Serious and emotional Dan is exhausting.” Phil teased, but there was a visible smile on his face.

“Fuck you.” Dan flipped him off.

“Much better.”

-

“Hey, Dan?” Phil asked. Dan was lying on the exam table and Phil was leaning against the wall. Dan had left the room after their heart-to-heart to go clean up and grab some food. He also went to see if he could find his dad, not to talk, just to make sure he wouldn’t find them talking. When he found his dad in his office working he came back a few hours later with a glass of water for himself and a blood-bag for Phil.

“What?” He answered, taking a quick drink of water.

“Why is your neck bruised? I meant to ask earlier, but I forgot. Y'know, after you went all emotional on me.” Phil said, deciding to tease Dan about the way he was acting earlier whenever he got the chance. Dan just didn’t seem like the emotional type, even Phil could see that, despite not knowing him for long.

“It’s not like you were any better.” Dan muttered, a tint of red covering his cheeks from embarrassment, “but to answer your question, my dad got angry at me. I’m alright though, he’s done a lot worse.”

“What do you mean he’s done worse? Dan, that’s abuse, he shouldn’t be doing it at all. That’s not okay.” Phil said angrily. Hating Dan’s father even more than he already did.

Dan raised his eyebrow, “okay? Of course it isn’t, but just in case you failed to notice, nothing my father does is okay. If you need proof, just look at yourself. And just in case you forgot, you weren’t the first he’s done this to. You’re just the first to succeed. The rest- well, let’s just say they’re -hopefully - in a better place.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry I said anything.” Phil mumbled awkwardly.

“No, it’s okay. I just wish I could’ve done something more, y'know? To save them, I mean.”

“Yeah, I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through.” Phil said sadly, “hey, how about we play a game or something, I think we’ve had enough serious talk for one day.”

“Sure, what did you have in mind?” Dan asked, his mood getting slightly more lighthearted.

“Truth or Dare?”

“What are we, Phil, twelve?”

“Come on, it’ll be fun.” Phil stated playfully, pushing himself off the wall and sat next to Dan.

Dan rolled his eyes, “fine, you ask first.”

“Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“What’s your zodiac sign?” Phil smiled cheerfully, his tongue sticking out from behind his lips.

“Really? That’s the best you could come up with?” Dan asked, raising his eyebrows.

“No. I could come up with a lot better, but I decided to start off simple.” Phil smirked, making Dan realize that he could, in fact, come up with a lot better.

“Fine, I’m a Gemini, a June child to be exact.” Dan stated, “um- your turn, truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

Dan wasn’t very good with coming up with dares, so it took him a moment to think of anything, “alright, I dare you to kiss the floor.”

“You want me to kiss the floor?” He asked curiously and slightly confusedly.

“No, but I couldn’t come up with anything better.” Dan said matter-of-factly.

Phil just shrugged and got up from where he was sitting. He knelt down and softly kissed the floor, “happy?” He asked when he got up.

“Sure.” Dan shrugged.

“Truth or dare?”

“Truth.”

“Again? Come on, Dan, you’re no fun.” Phil mumbled jokingly.

“Yes, again. I don’t particularly like dares.”

“Fine, but I’m forcing you to do a dare next time.” Phil promised, “are you a virgin?”

Dan spluttered, “I’m sorry?”

Phil smirked, “I said, are you a virgin?” He said, making sure to drag out each word.

“Um-I, what kind of question is that?” Dan stuttered out, crimson flushing his cheeks.

“A good one.” Phil stated, “besides, you’re the one who told me to give better questions, and judging by your reaction, I’m glad I did.”

“I never actually said that.” Dan mumbled.

“But you hinted at it.” Phil said, barely even waiting for Dan to finish his sentence, “now answer the question, you can’t be that young, can you?”

“Well, no, I’m eighteen, but who cares? I’ve never gotten the chance to- you know.” Dan muttered cutely.

“Aww, you are, that’s so adorable.” Phil spoke, ruffling Dan’s hair.

“Shut up, no it’s not.” Dan shrugged Phil’s hand off, “what about you?” Dan asked curiously.

“I’ll answer as long as this counts as your question.” Phil said.

Dan bit his lip in thought, “fine.”

“Then nope, I am most definitely not a virgin, I have had all kinds of fun times.” Phil winked, “though, as a twenty year old man, one would hope I’m not a virgin. Well, maybe I’m twenty-one now, I’m not sure how long I’ve been here.”

“When’s your birthday?” Dan asked, forgetting all about the game for a second.

“January 30th. What’s today?” Phil asked.

“It’s only the 25th. Looks like you’re not quite twenty-one.” Dan said smiling, happy to know he could celebrate Phil’s birthday with him, but his smile quickly fell when he saw the look on Phil’s face, “what’s wrong?”

“I’ve been here for exactly a month.” Phil mumbled, his teasing persona completely forgotten, “I just realized I got kidnapped on Christmas. There’s something sickeningly funny about that.” Phil smiled sadly.

“Yeah.” Dan agreed offhandedly. Not really sure what else to say, but it did make him curious. What was Phil doing walking around at night and all alone on Christmas day? Didn’t he have people to celebrate with?

“Hey, it’s fine. I’m fine. It’s no big deal, it’s just a day, right? Besides, if your dad never kidnapped me, I would have never met you. There’s at least that.” Phil said reassuringly, though Dan felt like he was the one that was supposed to do the reassuring.

Though it did make Dan think, what if by kidnapping him, he also somehow saved him?

-

Dan left the room a little while after they played truth or dare. Talking with Phil for so long had made him feel like his friend, and even though Dan knew someone he helped kidnapped couldn’t truly be his friend, he still hoped. In another life and under different circumstances, maybe they could’ve been something of friends, maybe even more. The point was, Dan cared about Phil and he couldn’t sit around and watch him suffer anymore, especially when there was something he could do about it. So with that thought in mind, Dan started to think of ways to get Phil out of the hell that him and his father put him in.

Dan couldn’t just open the door and let Phil out, there were too many cameras and too much security. He couldn’t ask his father to let him go either because his father “needed” him. Which was complete bullshit, his father didn’t need Phil for anything, in reality, he wants to use Phil as a weapon, for what, Dan didn’t know.

Dan sighed and banged his head onto the control panel in front of him. His head accidently hit a switch on the panel and the lights went out in the room.

“Ow, shit.” Dan grumbled, but his grumbling quickly turned to a face of realization as an idea formed in his head. What if he turned the main power off? It wouldn’t be that hard, just go down to the basement and hit the main control switch to all the power. If the power was off, nothing would be working, not the cameras, not the _traps_ that his father had set down in case an escape was attempted, nothing. Granted there would still be the guards to deal with and Dan wouldn’t have much time to get Phil out before the backup generator kicked in, but he could make it work.

With that thought in mind, he started prepping. He couldn’t start his plan just yet. He’d need a few days to get some things in order just in case something goes wrong, but he’d get it done.

He’d get Phil free.

-

Days passed by and Phil hadn’t seen Dan since they played truth or dare. In fact, Phil hadn’t seen anyone in a few days and he was getting a bit hungry. He was beyond bored and he was starting to wonder if his birthday had passed by. Phil had started counting every passing second and with every minute that passed by felt more like an hour.

Suddenly, the room went dark and everything went silent. Phil stood motionless for about a minute before someone barged into the room and grabbed his arm. The person started dragging Phil towards the general direction of the door and he wasn’t sure whether to struggle or go with them.

“Phil, it’s me, come one.” Dan whispered.

“Dan- wha-” Phil muttered, stumbling not only over his words, but his feet as well seeing as Dan was basically dragging him out the door.

“Shut it- I’m getting you out of here and we only have so much time before the lights come back on so don’t talk and follow me.”

Phil promptly nodded and shut up, following quickly behind him.

They ran through some amount of corridors that Phil had started to lose his sense of direction. Before he could register what was happening, Dan pushed him against a wall and into a corner, Dan’s body was flush against Phil’s and Phil’s cheeks heated up from the position that they were in; he was suddenly very thankful for the darkness.

“Dan what’re you-” Dan’s hand made it’s way onto Phil’s mouth, keeping him from talking. Dan frantically shook his head at him, pleading with him not to talk. It didn’t take Phil long to understand why Dan wanted him to shut up because he started hearing yelling and heavy thuds of footsteps coming their way.

Phil held his breath as the generous amount of people ran by them but then relaxed when they were out of sight.

“That was close.” Phil mumbled. Dan nodded in agreement.

When Dan made sure the coast was clear, he grabbed Phil’s hand and pulled him back into the halls. Lights suddenly filled the hallway and Phil could feel Dan tense beside him.

“Shit, the backup generator started up. Damn it. Let’s go.” Dan hissed out and Phil had never seen Dan so panicked and uncomposed, not that he had known Dan for that long, but that wasn’t the point.

“Dan- Dan, wait.” Phil said, grabbing onto Dan’s wrist causing him to turn towards Phil, “what-why are you doing this, why are you helping me? Why would you risk your life just to save mine? I’m nobody important.”

Dan growled, “Don’t say that. You are important, you’re important to more people than you think. Phil, you’re important to me. And I would rather die than watch you suffer in this hell anymore, you deserve more than this- you deserve the world.”

“-but why?” Phil mumbled.

“Because you’re the only friend I’ve ever had and I’ll never forgive myself if something happened to you. So let’s just go, okay?” Dan said. He knew he didn’t have much right to call Phil his friend, but he couldn’t deny that Phil was the closest thing to a friend he had ever had.

Phil smiled, “okay.”

They started running again, getting closer to the exit with each step. When they turned down the last corridor, they were greeted with the sight of two things. One being the exit door, but the other was Dan’s father.

Their running came to a prompt halt as they saw Dan’s father blocking the exit as if he were expecting them.

“Ah, I was wondering when you would show up, you sure were taking your sweet time.” Dan’s father said with a smug yet steady voice.

“Just let us go, I won’t work for you or be your weapon or whatever, so just let us go.” Phil sneered.

“Of course you won’t, not willingly anyway. Not without the right kind of motivation.” Dan’s father smirked.

“If you think torturing me with that weird herb of yours will get me to do what you want, think again.” Phil spat out, taking all his self control not to just kill the man in front of him.

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about that kind of motivation-” The man suddenly snapped his fingers and some guards showed up out of nowhere, grabbing onto both Dan and Phil, keeping Phil in place and giving Dan over to his father. Dan’s father held tightly onto Dan and put a gun up to his head, “-I was talking about _this_ kind of motivation.”

Phil tried to struggle out of the guards grasp, “you wouldn’t hurt your own son.” Phil said, disbelief dripping through his words.

“Are you willing to test me?” The man questioned, “the first rule of survival is to not get attached to anyone, but how lucky I am that you broke that rule.”

“If you even think about hurting him- I’ll kill you.” Phil growled out.

“How much damage comes to my son is up to you. If you’re willing to cooperate, then he doesn’t get harmed.”

Phil’s struggling became more demanding, he wasn’t going to become the man’s weapon, but he wouldn’t let him kill Dan either. Phil was torn. Phil elbowed one of the guards in the stomach and kicked the other in the shin, managing to escape their grasp. He started to head towards Dan, but he didn’t get far before he heard a gunshot.

Phil’s head snapped up towards the noise and noticed Dan falling to the ground. Phil screamed and began to run towards him, but he didn’t get far before the guards took hold of him again. Phil kicked and struggled against the men, but the fact that he hadn’t had anything to eat for a few days, he was weaker than normal.

“It’s fascinating, really. How hurting him-” He pointed the gun towards Dan, “- can hurt you.” The man pointed towards Phil, “now cooperate or the next bullet will be in his head and not his leg.”

Phil visibly relaxed knowing that Dan was okay. Well, as okay as he could be, “let Dan go free and I will do whatever you want.” Phil said weakly.

“I’m sorry? Can you repeat that, my ears didn’t quite pick up what you were saying.” The man taunted, obviously wanting Phil to admit defeat so the world could hear.

“I _said_ , let him go, and I’ll do what you want.” Phil sneered.

At the same time Phil said those words, Dan weakly lifted his head and shook his head, “Phil, no. Don’t do this. Don’t give in-”

He was cut off by his father stepping on his head to shut him up, but that didn’t stop Dan from struggling. Dan smiled weakly up at Phil before lifting himself up with all his might and grabbing the gun from his father. He was able to shoot the two guards surrounding Phil before his dad grabbed roughly onto him and snatched the gun back.

“Phil, run.” Dan said weakly. Phil quickly shook his head as fast as he could.

“I, no- I can’t.”

Dan grumbled, “damn it, Phil, go! I’m not letting this escape mission fail.”

“But it’d be pointless if we didn’t both get out-”

“-just run!” Dan screamed out and that got Phil moving towards the exit.

Phil forced himself to take steps towards the exit, trying his hardest not to think about what he was leaving behind.

“If you walk out that door I’ll shoot his brains out.” Dan’s father said menacingly.

Phil stopped at the voice. He couldn’t do this. Phil’s life was nothing before he got kidnapped, and without Dan it would be just as pointless.

Phil turned around and looked back at Dan and growled, “I won’t leave you. You told me I was the only friend you’d ever had, well guess what, Dan, you are my only friend too and I’ll be damned if I leave you knowing that I could’ve done something.”

Phil growled out and, with a new found strength within him, he jumped onto Dan’s father and bit deeply into his neck, drinking his blood with no remorse. Phil pulled away after he was nearly dead and leaned close to his ear, “how does it feel knowing the very monster you created became the very thing that lead you to your inevitable death?” Phil whispered before snapping the man’s neck.

Phil licked the blood off his lips before looking down at Dan and picking him up.

“Let’s get out of here, shall we?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Dan answered.

They wandered out of the building and walked through the thick forest. A few hours later, they came to a rocky cliff that looked across miles of land. Phil set Dan down beside him and smiled.

“The sun’s setting.” Phil whispered, pointing off into the distance.

“Yeah.” Dan mumbled.

Phil looked at Dan and leaned into him, giving him a gentle kiss on the lips.

It didn’t last long, but Dan didn’t protest so Phil didn’t mind.

They sat on the cliff side for about an hour before Dan spoke up.

“Phil?”

“Yeah?”

“Happy Birthday.”

Phil lets out a light laugh, “and what a day it’s been.”   


End file.
